Woman dies after being thrown from motorcycle

A Harley Davidson motorcycle lies on its side after its passengers were thrown off during a crash near Meadow on Interstate 15, Millard County, Utah, May 26, 2017 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A woman died and a man was critically injured after they were thrown from a motorcycle on Interstate 15 Friday afternoon.

Utah Highway Patrol was dispatched to the incident involving a black 1999 Harley Davidson motorcycle at approximately 12:13 p.m. near the exit to Meadow, a small town in Millard County.

A Harley Davidson motorcycle lies on its side after its passengers were thrown off during a crash near Meadow on Interstate 15, Millard County, Utah, May 26, 2017 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St.George News

The motorcyclist, a 36-year-old man from Farr West, Utah, and his female passenger, 36-year-old Randi L. Mahas of Ogden, were southbound on I-15 near exit 158 when they rode over a dip in the roadway.

The motorcycle then began wobbling uncontrollably at a high speed, and after weaving several times, the motorcycle tipped to its side and skidded to a stop, according to a news release issued by Utah Highway Patrol.

“Both occupants became separated from the motorcycle and neither of the occupants was wearing a helmet,” the new release reads.

Mahas died as a result of her injuries.

The motorcyclist was critically injured and transported to Fillmore by ambulance before being flown in a medical helicopter to Utah Valley Hospital.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and witnesses and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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About the Author

Joseph Witham is a Utah Valley University graduate with a bachelor's degree in communication. He loves the Utah outdoors scene and is likely to be found camping or hiking in any one of the state's epic landscapes on a given weekend. He is equally passionate about writing and was published in various news media, including The Daily Herald in Utah County, before joining St. George News.

12 Comments

There’s an acronym atgatt. I never heard of it in my riding days but it’s a good one. Means ‘all the gear all the time’. There is never a good time to not be wearing all the gear on a bike–full leathers, boots, gloves, helmet, etc. When I was a young idiot I’d do the whole t-shirt, jean shorts, and flops thing; never rode w/o a helmet tho. Gearing up is a huge bother and it esp sucks when it’s over 90 out. It gets to the point where it’s just not worth it, but for those that still ride, my advice: atgatt.

This accident proves speed and no helmet result in death or serious injuries..I see people on cycles with tank tops, shorts and glop flops trying to get a thrilled ride and ran with bad results. It’s a busy weekend and they never got a chance to enjoy… Oh that’s the 89 mph area.. Too high a speed

A helmet will reduce concussion injuries but there is no gear to prevent neck & spinal cord injury .
We had a whole unit at the last hospital I worked at . . . full of guys who ‘lived’ after their motorcycle accident but were left in a vegetative state .
Personally , I would rather pass from this earth than be left trapped & bedridden in a vegetative state getting food in a tube and sponge baths from lowest wage workers .

You seem to assume a helmet will save your life but leave you a vegetable so why wear a helmet? There is no in between? I think you take prudent precautionary safety measures and hope for the best. A defeatest attitude of why bother seems reckless. I support your right to do what you want, it helps thin the herd.

The highway is currently being paved through there, the bridges have not been completed and there are some pretty bad bumps as you go over them, this is sad because it could have been prevented in many ways, by slowing down, wearing a helmet, or a better transition of the paving as you go over the bridges, and not such a big dip in the road.

My last trip up north I-15 I noticed a lot of construction areas that whoever was doing the work (state or pvt) had failed to make very safe for motorcycles. I would think they could be held liable in court for those failures if a wreck occurs.

Relatively young riders, rock solid motorcycle, no stated impairments, so……..was it the pavement transition? Something odd happened, because at highway speed this machine and its two riders had a lot of forward momentum and upward stability.

Many of these types of accidents (highway speed / Harley) in the past have been “geezer-related”, where the rider simply lost control on a curve. Leading to the question: Should this guy have sold his bike when he became less able to handle an 800 lb two wheel machine…..?

The useful follow-up to this article would be UDOT/UHP conclusion of cause, after speaking to the guy when he is conscious. Typically, these uneven surface transitions are well marked.

A harsh enough dip or drop in the road can cause what’s called a ‘tank slapper’, and with a huge heavy loaded bike it could be near impossible to regain control. It very likely was caused by the road construction.

From what the article said on the way this accident unfolded, it sounds like a classic case of high speed wobbles! Now I’ve heard people say “there’s no such thing as high speed wobbles.” They are extremely uninformed.
As one who has gone through “the wobblys” twice, I can tell you they DO exist. While they aren’t as common with the modern bikes, they still happen.